KUCHING: Rabies is always fatal but it is 100 percent preventable by vaccinating both animals and humans.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said although rabies is fatal once clinical signs appear, rabies is preventable through three proven effective interventions — raising awareness on rabies prevention, vaccinating humans after exposure to rabies and conducting mass dog vaccination programmes.
“Firstly, awareness of rabies engages communities and empowers people to save themselves by seeking the care they need. This includes an understanding of how to prevent rabies in animals, how to identify rabies, and what to do in case one is bitten by a dog, especially now that rabies is endemic in our state.
“These include washing the bite wound with soap and put under running water for 15 minutes and immediately seek medical treatment at any government clinics,” he said.
Uggah’s speech was read by Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Him who represented him to officiate at the launch of World Rabies Day 2021 Sarawak hybrid virtual event held at Tegas Digital Innovation Hub yesterday (Oct 2).
Secondly is to initiate rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) which consists of a series of human rabies vaccinations and in some cases rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) administered after a suspected exposure to rabies.
“Appropriate wound management and prompt access to quality-assured PEP is almost 100 percent effective in preventing human rabies deaths,” he pointed out.
And thirdly, he said mass dog vaccination is important and a proven, cost-effective way to save human lives by stopping the transmission of rabies at its source.
“While a variety of animal species can host rabies, dogs are responsible for 99 percent of human cases.
“Eliminating rabies in dogs is therefore the key to prevent humans from being infected with rabies,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Sim in his own speech also reminded the people to seek immediate medical attention if they or their child have been bitten or scratched by a dog.
“Don’t wait until the virus reaches the brain, by then it will be too late. That will be fatal,” he said.
He also said that people have to learn to live with the Covid-19 pandemic like how they live with rabies in the state.
“The way we deal with rabies and Covid-19 is almost similar; both are viruses except rabies was discovered a long time ago and Covid-19 is just 21 months old.
“We have to know the risk, dangers and take all the preventive measures. Thus, I seek everyone to play their role and part. There is no shortcut,” said Dr Sim.
